Sharp’s 3D Touchscreen LCD Doesn’t Need Glasses

April 2, 2010 By Geoff Duncan

Sharp is showing off a new touchscreen LCD that can show 3D images and doesn't need awkward 3D glasses...so long as you keep your face about one foot away.

Japanese electronics giant Sharp has unveiled its latest 3D display technology: a touchscreen LCD that can display 3D images users can perceive without awkward 3D glasses. The downside? The technology only works well when a user’s eyes are a fixed distance from the screen—for the 3-inch displays Sharp was showing, that’s about 30 cm (or one foot). The displays can switch between 2D and 3D modes, and Sharp is pitching the technology as ideal for smartphones and other portable devices—especially since the display is about the same as a conventional 2D LCD.

The technology works by sending different images to viewers’ right and left eyes, the same way traditional 3D glasses work but building the separation into the display itself. Sharp says the technology may be applied to larger devices like televisions in the future; however, applications may be limited since the effect works best with a fixed distance between the viewer and the display. However, aside from televisions, the technology may have numerous applications in mobile devices, cameras, virtual reality gear, and arcade games.

The displays Sharp demonstrated measured 3.4 inches, offered a 854 by 480-pixel resolution, brightness of 500 cd/m², and 1,000:1 contrast ratios. The displays could switch between landscape and portrait modes. Sharp said it applied advances in CG-Silicon technology to reduce the wiring width in the LCD panel while simultaneously enabling more light to pass through the panel while reducing crosstalk.

Sharp has tried to sell 3D gear before, but the efforts largely fell flat due to poor image quality, but the company is confident its new efforts are far brighter and clearer than its competitors’. Sharp plans to begin mass production of the 3D-capable LCDs in the next six months.

Showing 3 comments

Ian Bell at 4:17pm 2nd April 2010 Agreed. Seems more like an engineering sample than anything. The first OLED display I saw from Sony was only 8-11" in size too. I did see a 3D TV at CES a couple years ago that didn't require glasses (not sure if it was from Sharp or not), but the resolution looked awful and it was hard to watch for a long period of time. It was on a larger 50"+ screen too, so they can do it if they want, but the tech to make it look good seems years off.
Zacc at 4:11pm 2nd April 2010 The screen size is a problem. It's very hard to get acceptable autostereoscopy image on a big screen so you probably have to wait years. On a small scale like this it's completely feasible right now.
Ian Bell at 10:15am 2nd April 2010 Pretty cool to see new tech like this. I always thought it was rather ridiculous to have to wear 3D glasses at home just to see a movie (what happens if you wear regular glasses just to see, and then need to add 3D glasses on top of those?). The problem is that Sharp will probably have a tough time getting this to take off without support from the other TV manufacturers.